Student expelled for possessing unloaded guns in his truck

There is a lot of debate surrounding the expulsion of a 16-year-old high school student in California. The Willows Unified School District board of trustees has voted 4-0 to expel junior Gary Tudesko after scent-sniffing dogs discovered two unloaded guns and a knife in his pick-up truck.

Expelling Tudesko would seem like a no-brainer. However, his pick-up was parked off campus, and some are wondering whether or not school officials have the authority to investigate a student’s car if it is not parked on school property.

Susan Parisio defends her son, while also acknowledging that he was lazy for not storing the shotguns at home after a morning of bird hunting. Susan questioned the district’s ability to enforce school policies off the High School’s property.

District officials, including Willows High Principal Mort Geivette cited several justifications for their decision to expel Tudesko. One of them was the legal doctrine of in loco parentis, which means that school officials may act in place of a parent for school functions.

Geivette said the school was responsible for students traveling to and from school as well as during lunch. He also noted that the students should not possess weapons within 1,000 feet of the campus, and according to the Gun-Free School Zone Act of 1995, the principal is right. The act states that students are barred from possession of firearms within 1,000 feet of a school. However, there are exceptions for private property and for lawful transportation of non-concealable weapons. In Tudesko’s case, his vehicle can be considered private property.

Parisio feels that the school is practicing selective enforcement because she claims the school’s canine search also found two additional vehicles that had live ammunition. She questions why there weren’t expulsion hearings for those students.

Tudesko has apologized for his actions and said that he did not drop the guns off at home because he wanted to get to school on time.

His mother plans to appeal the district’s decision to the Glenn County Board of Education. If the decision is upheld, she will most likely home-school her son rather than enroll him in a continuation school.

I find it curious that the school performs off-campus investigations by having scent-sniffing dogs check out student vehicles. However, I can understand the District’s decision to expel Tudesko. Although it seems he had no intention to use the guns, you can never be too sure. The knife with the three-inch blade is also questionable, and has no place near a school campus. It seems that his car was parked within 1,000 feet from the school, and the Gun-Free School Zone Act of 1995 clearly states that students are prohibited from bringing weapons that close to the campus.

If Tudesko’s mother is right about school officials finding live ammunition in two other student vehicles, those students should also face consequences. Selective enforcement is not something that should be practiced on a school campus when weapons are involved.

Overall, I agree with the District’s decision. They are doing their best to protect their students and they understand it is their obligation to keep the campus safe.